OC Tender Owners - would you buy again?

[Tortuga's Lie]

Originally Posted by CaptainMarkS

I'm in the process of replacing our 3.5m inflatable RIB and find going "solid" an appealing option. In my research (including this thread), what I've found appealing about the OC / AST / UP options is the weight savings. We beach our current dinghy in rather rough conditions, and really don't mind landing on rocky beaches with our dinghy wheels and aluminum hull. I'd be cringing landing a carbon / glass hull in these conditions, even with a decent keel guard.

Came across these new kids on the block (GoDu), and like their proposition: https://goduadventure.com/godu-10-5. It's like an Ocean Craft but with octagonal (flat topped) coaming. Being all aluminum, seems indestructible with a better ride. Would love to hear from folks who've actually experienced one!

Looks like a nice dinghy but twice the weight of my OC Tender, I like the least amount of weight on my davits and the ability to lift it onto the car without breaking my back.

[rslifkin]

The GoDu is heavy, but not ridiculous. We carry an old school aluminum skiff (similar beam but longer than the GoDu) and it's 150 lbs. The GoDu is a few pounds heavier, but I'd bet it can carry more payload (can't find a spec for that).

The OC Tender and similar are definitely nice and light, but durability would be my biggest concern if you beach it on rocks regularly. I've beached our skiff on rocks a few times and it sounds terrible, but all it did was scratch the paint on the bottom a bit.

[Tortuga's Lie]

Originally Posted by rslifkin

The OC Tender and similar are definitely nice and light, but durability would be my biggest concern if you beach it on rocks regularly. I've beached our skiff on rocks a few times and it sounds terrible, but all it did was scratch the paint on the bottom a bit.

Depends on the size of the rocks! I would say anything larger than a grapefruit could be problematic and you would want to disembark from the dinghy before it hit them and use the beach wheels to pull it up on the beach, but any damage to the hull can be repaired with epoxy and glass if you happen to damage it. Aluminum wins this battle for sure, but with a little careful navigation, we haven't had much of an issue. I suppose it's a trade-off really, like most boats. I like the 75 lbs.

[CaptainMarkS]

Originally Posted by rslifkin

The GoDu is heavy, but not ridiculous. We carry an old school aluminum skiff (similar beam but longer than the GoDu) and it's 150 lbs. The GoDu is a few pounds heavier, but I'd bet it can carry more payload (can't find a spec for that).

The OC Tender and similar are definitely nice and light, but durability would be my biggest concern if you beach it on rocks regularly. I've beached our skiff on rocks a few times and it sounds terrible, but all it did was scratch the paint on the bottom a bit.

The payload on the GoDu is 1250 lbs. The payload on the OC 330 (4" longer) is 821 lbs and on the OC 350 it's 988 lbs.

I definitely agree with the rocks. Those who say carbon fiber / glass is easily repairable miss out on the need to repair vs simply not caring. Scratches and dents on a sturdy aluminum hull just add character, not stress!

[Thomas1985]

I’m so close to buying a carbon fiber OC. Price sucks, but definitely the best tender on market.

[Thomas1985]

Originally Posted by CaptainMarkS

The payload on the GoDu is 1250 lbs. The payload on the OC 330 (4" longer) is 821 lbs and on the OC 350 it's 988 lbs.

I definitely agree with the rocks. Those who say carbon fiber / glass is easily repairable miss out on the need to repair vs simply not caring. Scratches and dents on a sturdy aluminum hull just add character, not stress!

Weight. The GoDu weighs a lot more than a carbon fiber OC.

I’m also afraid the GoDu isn’t fendered well enough. Scared it’ll bang in to my boat while unloading in some waves…

[nfbr]

Unsure. Nice, but I think next time I would go with a deeper V tender. Going 5 miles into chop kindof sucks in an OC depending on load / layout.
Thats my only real complaint.

[CaptainMarkS]

@Thomas1985, "best tender on the market" sounds like post rationalization bias to justify your purchase decision. "Best" for what? Weight? (UP is lighter). Cost? Hell, no! Durability? Aluminum is arguably better. Performance in chop? Definitely not, based on user feedback. Best for you? Can't argue that.

Like any boat purchasing decision, there are trade-offs. We can manage the extra weight on the davits in exchange for something indestructible that performs well in chop. We experienced delamination of the hypalon tube from aluminum hull in our inflatable RIB while in heavy unexpected chop. Will never do that again. As well, for us, "best" is don't care about scratches & dings on the dinghie.

You make a good point ref scratches and dings on the mothership, though.

[CaptainMarkS]

Originally Posted by Thomas1985

I’m so close to buying a carbon fiber OC. Price sucks, but definitely the best tender on market.

Originally Posted by nfbr

Unsure. Nice, but I think next time I would go with a deeper V tender. Going 5 miles into chop kindof sucks in an OC depending on load / layout.
Thats my only real complaint.

That's a real complaint, especially for us older folk who have to consider bladder and back issues! Aging sucks...

[Wandering1]

Originally Posted by SteveSadler

I'm not sure why it costs 12k. The link states 12k nz$ which may be $7k US? Hard dinks are way better, more durable, and plane more weight, than Inflatables but cannot be deflated for stowage. Also not very friendly to the mother ship even with the pads provided. My 12' hypalon rib cost $3500 new and 7 yrs later still no problems. Paying 2x more means I have more money than I can spend in my lifetime.

My 3.8m nesting dinghy is over 30 years old. GRP foam core composite with carbon stiffening. When nested on deck it's 2.2m long so storage not an issue. It's done 3 transatlantic crossing on the deck. We got sick of deflatables having had 2 ribs from new.
I could never go back to a rib but much prefer our hard nesting dinghy to the OC. We have more Vee in the hull than the OC so it ride far better in a chop. The two owners of OC dinghies I have spoke to both said there were not convinced by them

[Bobel]

The reason to buy an OC is that it weighs less than 1/2 the highfield. The disadvantage of OC is fragile construction and if you have the wheel option it limits excursion of the motor. But when you have to turtle it on deck single handed you will appreciate that it weighs 60 pounds.

[Tortuga's Lie]

Originally Posted by Bobel

The reason to buy an OC is that it weighs less than 1/2 the highfield. The disadvantage of OC is fragile construction and if you have the wheel option it limits excursion of the motor. But when you have to turtle it on deck single handed you will appreciate that it weighs 60 pounds.

I'm not sure what you mean when you said "the wheel option limits the excursion of the motor"? I have the wheel option and in no way do the wheels interfere with the motor, my motor goes fully side to side and when the wheels are deployed, the motor kicks up just fine. What are you experiencing?

[Wandering1]

Originally Posted by nfbr

Unsure. Nice, but I think next time I would go with a deeper V tender. Going 5 miles into chop kindof sucks in an OC depending on load / layout.
Thats my only real complaint.

I think this is the real weakness of the OC. Its not great in a chop. Its quite wide with no deep V. I also wonder how hard you can push it in a chop with its light construction.
We have a 3.8m nesting dinghy that is more heavily constructed with a cored bottom. It's bullet proof in chop due to its heavier construction and narrower beam.
You can build your own. Have a look at the Remosa 12 by Chris Morejohn Designs.
It the updated version of my dinghy ( now over 30 years old)

[nfbr]

I think the owners of OC are very clear on their priorities.
Carryable by a couple
Maximise load space
Not inflatable, moderately robust

Speed and comfort at speed was a very long way down the list.
Carrying heavy / nasty payloads (eg Dive tanks) also way down

[Wandering1]

Originally Posted by nfbr

I think the owners of OC are very clear on their priorities.
Carryable by a couple
Maximise load space
Not inflatable, moderately robust

Speed and comfort at speed was a very long way down the list.
Carrying heavy / nasty payloads (eg Dive tanks) also way down

We see just about all OC dinghies on catamarans. In the Caribbean, anchorages are often a long way from the dinghy dock. Choppy anchorages are the norm. I have asked owners on their opinion on the OC and theirs answers are no particularly enthusiastic.